True Friendship, True Love Version 2
by Lovetoread1983
Summary: Namine and Axel our close friends. After she helps Axel get together with Marluxia Axel becomes distant. Will she lose her best friend to his new love or will their friendship endure? - AkuMArly yoai lemon


**Okay so this was originally written as my AkuMarly one shot. But it's not my normal style of a straight love story with a lemon. This one is a little more involved though it still has a lemon (of course XD). It's centered more around Axel's friendship with Naminé than his relationship with Marly. This was originally written with Larxene as Axel's friend but I was told by some very wise authors that it didn't really work for this story. So this is the re-write with Naminé as Axel's friend and rather than being a one shot it will be multi chapter story with multiple couples. In this chapter there is Axel/Marly but future chapters will have additional pairings.**

**Please review and let me know what you think**

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story

_**True Friendship, True Love**_

_**Version Two**_

Naminé sat at her computer doing her homework. Her blue-tooth in and on so she could talk to Axel and type without getting a headache. This was an everyday, as natural as breathing occurrence, and had been for about a year.

They met about a year and a half ago at of all places, a bar. She was out with a couple of her friends as was he. Both groups ended up at the same bar. Naminé, Yuffie, and Tifa were there to see their friend Demyx's band play.

Normally the three would not go to a bar for an evening out. All three of them worked full time and went to school full time so they didn't have much energy left for drinking then waking the next morning feeling like they were run threw a giant dryer and tumbled dry for a few hours feeling like crap. But for Demy they found themselves at a small blues bar downtown waiting for the band to play drinking cola. They came with the band so they were sitting at the front center table.

In walks Axel, Riku, and Cloud, stopping all three girls in mid thought; well really in mid motion of any kind, they were all heart stopping gorgeous. It took Naminé about three minutes to figure out they were also gay. The other two were clueless though and she didn't have the heart to tell them. Well more like she couldn't resist the entertainment. So the girls honed in on their targets and the guys ended up sitting at their table.

Axel took the chair next to Naminé, he was sexy as hell. He was gay, Naminé did not doubt that for one minute but, he was not feminine in any way. He had a smile that would melt anyone's heart, male or female and was tall with long lean muscles, he was definitely an athlete but she couldn't tell which sport. She liked him immediately. There was something in his eyes that grabbed hold of her heart. They were a beautiful green, the color of new summer grass. Not the yellow green shoots of spring but the green, green, grass gets once it's grown its strength. Maybe that's what it was; Naminé saw strength in him that he hid away. But she also saw sorrow in those green depths and knew instinctively that he was in trouble. And from that night forward they were friends, within the first six months they went from emailing each other a few times a day, to IMing a few times a day, then texting pretty much all day long. And finally to where they are now which is talking a few hours a day on the phone if they weren't out together.

Naminé smiled as Axel made a smart ass comment about her opinion on his current song choice playing in the background. She could picture him perfectly. He was probably laying on his back, in his basic t-shirt and jeans. His feet would be on the floor, one hand holding the phone, the other laying across his stomach and he would be staring up at his ceiling. A ceiling that was still painted with the solar system on it using his ceiling light as the sun; now twenty he'd out grown it about ten years ago but his mom wouldn't let him paint it. She kept saying she would do it. That was one of many reasons he wanted to move out, when he turned twenty one he would have access to his trust fund and would no longer be at the mercy of his menial job and his parents for his cash flow. Axel had issues but over the past year and a half Naminé had helped him get past quite a few of them, the little ones anyway. Today's conversation was about one of his biggest issues. He wanted a man to love, someone who would love him in return.

He had this belief that he would not be complete until he had a partner. This was something that, no matter how many times they argued about it, he would never understand he didn't need a partner to be complete. He just needed to learn to love himself and the rest would fall into place. But he was stubborn and she gave up trying to make him see that so she went to plan "b" which was helping him find a man, or rather watching him fumble through the process of liking guys for the wrong reasons then getting hurt when they didn't live up to expectations. Everyone thought Axel was a player but truth be told he was a gorgeous guy who let himself be hurt by all the wrong people. He could be cold and ruthless when he needed to be but Naminé had come to discover that was his shield of protection; the one that kept people from seeing that he really was affected emotionally, because to him, to show emotion was to show weakness. And weakness left him open to be hurt, and that he refused to allow. Or so he thought anyway. She knew better, she knew that every hurt he covered up actually cut him deeply, and she gave silent support when that happened. Axel didn't like to talk about his deep pain only the surface pain and even that was carefully executed.

"Né, I can't take much more of this. Why is it that every guy I meet turns out to be a total dick?"

"Because my dear friend you give everyone the benefit of the doubt which means they're usually jerks. As I've told you many times, only jerks need to get the benefit of the doubt. If you date a jerk it's gonna end bad with you always getting the worse of it." She answered patiently. "Have you heard from Marly lately?"

"Nah, not it a couple of days."

"How was he doing the last you talked to him?" Marly was a guy he'd met online and had been helping through a rough break up. They had yet to meet in person; he was strictly an online friend at this point. He also lived several hours away so it wasn't like they could just hang out. Naminé liked him and she noticed Axel's slow switch from thinking of him as just a friend to a shift into a little more lately. She wasn't sure that he even noticed yet.

"He was doing a lot better. He knew it was a bad relationship he just doesn't like being alone. Something I can relate to. I don't want to be alone either." He sighed. "So what time is Demy playing tonight?"

"The first set starts at 9:00 did you decide if you're coming or not yet?" she asked as she saved her project and moved onto FaceBook.

"Yeah I'm gonna come. Who knows maybe I'll meet the guy of my dreams right?" he drawled.

"Hey, you never know what will happen, but if you carry that negative attitude around with you you're going to chase away the nice guys and attract the assholes."

"Pft, I do that whether I am up beat or not. It's like I have a stamp on my head, if you're a self centered ass call me."

"I think you're being a bit of a drama queen now. Would you just forget about Saix, he's not worth you getting so upset over. He wasn't good enough for you." Naminé said to offer support.

"You say that about every guy I go out with Né." He chuckled.

"Yeah well it's usually true. I can't help it if I want you to have the best of everything. And that includes a guy that not only loves and cherishes you but one that will help you grow as a person not hold you back."

"Please don't go into the "You're a great guy speech again" I keep telling you, I'm not a great guy. You want me to be so that's how you see me but I'm really not. I'm emotionally damaged, incapable of caring beyond the superficial. I do and say what I need to get what I want. I'm cold and cruel in my true form." He replied exasperated.

She insisted on seeing him as some lost soul but he wasn't, he was just someone who needed a major change in his life because he was so unhappy. Naminé was a great friend and he loved her he just hoped she wasn't too upset when he moved on, because he always did. He tried warning her about what he was like. She just refused to see it and she had such a way of making him feel better when he was upset or lonely that he couldn't give up the friendship, not yet.

"Well you are you know." she said stubbornly.

"Ah Né you'll just never get it."

"Yeah, yeah I know you're not nice and you don't understand why I care so much, yada, yada. I know I'm important to you no matter what you say. You'd miss me if I was gone."

He could hear the smile in her words. She was right, he did care about her. That's what scared him, he always ended up hurting people who actually did love him. He'd spent his life protecting himself from getting hurt by people who were supposed to love him unconditionally. Funny it always seemed to come with conditions so as a young boy he quickly learned to manipulate his emotions and the people around him and in doing so, he learned that most of the time he could manage to get what he wanted. Well except for true acceptance, that was the one thing he couldn't manage to get from the two people to whom he should be the most important, his mom and dad. Axel shook off the sudden rush of pain and concentrated on the conversation again.

"Okay so what time do you want me to pick you up?" Axel asked choosing to not comment on what she said.

Naminé didn't miss the evasion but she was used to that from him. She knew in the back of her mind what she refused to believe in her heart. Axel probably could walk away from her one day if the circumstances were right. She was sure he would feel bad but she wasn't sure that would be enough to change his mind. For now she chose to ignore the thought and enjoy his friendship.

"Pick me up about 7:00 that should give us enough time. Dems said he would reserve the front table for us so we don't have to fight for good seats." She told him.

"Sounds like a plan, see you then Né."

"'Kay see you then, love you." Saying I love you before hanging up was a habit he got her into but now she couldn't imagine hanging up without saying it.

"Love you too." He responded without hesitation.

Smiling when she hung up, she immediately dialed Yuffie's number.

She answered on the second ring. "Hi you! What's the word?"

"He's coming; can you make sure Marly makes it?" Naminé asked biting her bottom lip. She and Yuffie had been working on getting Marly in town to meet Axel face to face. She had a good feeling about him, her gut told her they would get along as good in person as they did online and on the phone. So she took it upon herself to arrange for their first meeting but neither one knew that's what was happening tonight. She and Yuffie had managed to keep them from talking the past two days to make sure one or the other didn't give it away. "I can't wait to see their faces." She said to her co-conspirator.

"Yeah me either I will have my phone ready to capture the moment." She smiled. "Okay so we will meet you there. We should be there about 8:30."

"Perfect me and Axel will be there at about 8:00. See you then."

"Yep, see you then." Yuffie said before she hung up.

ooOoo

Axel took a swig of his beer eyeing Naminé who was looking at the door every three seconds. "What the hell is going on with you tonight?" He finally asked making her realize that she wasn't exactly being subtle. She checked herself and calmed down.

"What do you mean? I'm just people watching." She answered casually.

"Right." He drawled out.

"What? I always people watch."

"Not with the intensity you are tonight. You usually pay a bit more attention to me or at least pretend to be listening to me. Tonight you're not bothering to do either one, you seem to only be interested in what's going on at the door."

As he was talking the door opened and in walked Yuffie and Marly, Naminé smiled. Axel stopped talking and followed her line of vision and once he caught sight of who she was looking at she could hear his instant intake of breath. He was looking directly at Marluxia. Marly's reaction mirrored Axel's. He stood up and walked straight to the pink haired male. They were both smiling from ear to ear. Marly stood with his arms open as Axel made his way to him from across the room. After months of only talking to each other and texting to each other they finally get to touch.

Axel was barely aware of his surroundings; he just needed to get to Marly. He didn't know why but he had to feel his arms around him and half way to him Axel decided he also needed to kiss him. He reached his quarry and wrapped his arms around his slim waist as Marly put his arms around Axel's neck and they squeezed. Hugging as tight as the other could take it. They stayed like that for nearly a minute not saying anything. Then Axel took Marly's face in his hands and he kissed his beautiful rose.

Marly was shocked, thrilled, and scared half to death at meeting Axel in person. He was even more incredible in the flesh. Damn if he wasn't his perfect specimen of a man. Marly was gay and he liked everything about the male body, especially the one walking his way. He was dumbstruck by his masculine beauty. He'd seen pictures of him but none of them did him justice, they didn't even come close. Once he reached Marly they embraced and it felt like the most natural thing in the world. He didn't want to let go but then Axel took his face in his hands and kissed him. Marly's world tilted when their lips met. It was like he was lost and finally found his way home. Axel's lips were soft and warm and fused perfectly against his mouth. Then he slipped his tongue across the seam of Marly's lips and pushed his way inside.

Slipping into Marly's mouth nearly took Axel to his knees. He had kissed and been kissed many times but never ever had it been like this. There were no clumsy movements from their tongues trying to figure out how the other would move. They moved as if they had been kissing their whole lives. And the way his body fit perfectly against Axel's was beyond perfection.

Neither man seemed to remember they were in the middle of a crowded room. By this time most of the people in the room were watching them. When two gorgeous men begin making out in the middle of a room it tends to draw attention. Finally someone cleared their throat as the kiss deepened and went from sweet to hot.

Naminé leaned into Yuffie, "Looks like they might hit it off." She had a huge grin.

"Ya think?" Yuffie laughed. "Though I'm gonna need a cold shower soon."

"Yeah we better break them up before they lose their clothes." Naminé chortled and looked around, "Or they start an orgy."

"Hey guys I hate to break up your love fest but people are staring and I think maybe considering masturbation." That made Marly burst out laughing and Axel growled at her. She shrugged, "Look around you'll see what I mean."

Axel looked around and indeed more than half of the people were watching them. He put his arm around Marly's waist and led him to the table. He didn't speak until they were sitting. "I can't believe you're here." He said as he set his hand on Marly's thigh. Marly was very photogenic so Axel knew he was attractive but he never expected the sexual magnetism that surrounded the pink haired male. It was like he had ethereal power around him.

"When Né and Yuffie invited me to come for the weekend so I could finally see Demyx's band play I asked if you would be around and was told probably not until tomorrow. So I was really surprised to see you here. But it is a pleasant surprise indeed."

His smile was seduction at its finest. Not that he needed to seduce Axel in the least, he was so on board already. "I guess they wanted to surprise us." He turned to Naminé. "I can't believe you did that. Why not just tell me you invited him?"

"Because it was more fun this way and the first meeting was that much sweeter." Her grin was positively radiant. She was happy; she knew she'd been right. They were going to be great together. Her best friend would finally be happy. A tinge of fear crept into her gut but she pushed it down refusing to be anything but happy for Axel.

He kissed her cheek, "Thank you."

"Aww, anytime, you know I'd do anything for you." She replied.

"Yeah thank you Né and Yuffie. This was really sweet of you." Marly added in.

"You're welcome," they said in unison making him smile.

Before anyone could say anything else the lights went down and the band was introduced. For the next few hours Naminé enjoyed the band and caught glimpses of Axel and Marly talking into each other's ears; touching whenever possible. Their chairs were now side by side so as they sat their thighs touched from knee to hip. It was adorable and they looked great together. Her heart was full with happiness for one of her best friends. Of all of them Axel was the one that deserved to be shown true love the most, he needed to know that he did deserve love. She loved him and he knew it but her kind of love was not what he was looking for. The Love Marly would give him is what he'd wanted. That's what, in his mind, he needed to be happy. Naminé knew better but there was nothing to be done about that so she would celebrate his current happiness and hope for the best.

The last song was played and the lights went out. The crowd erupted and who ever wasn't already on their feet stood and applauded wildly. The lights came back on and the band was lined up across the stage. They bowed a few times and the crowd grew louder, "The next set is at 11:30 if you want to stick around, if not then thanks for coming out to see us." Demyx yelled over the noise of the crowd who increased the volume after he spoke. He caught Naminé's eyes and smiled. Then nodded his head toward Axel and Marly, to which she nodded an affirmative. She could see from Demy's smile that he approved.

The band walked off the stage and a few minutes later Demy and Zexy came out from back stage to sit with them. True to his personality he hugged and kissed everyone hello, even Marly who was a little shocked by his extremely friendly greeting. Zexy did his usual head nod and "Hey."

Once every one was settled again Demy asked, "So you're Marluxia then? You are all these two have been talking about for a week." He grinned.

"Yep, and you're obviously Demyx, you guys are great, really. The best blues band I've heard in a while." Marly replied.

Zexy lifted his visible brow, "You see many blues bands, do you?"

"Yeah as a matter of fact I do. I am the promotional director for a radio station near my home town and blues happens to be one of our main genres." He answered while he ran his hand up the inside of Axel's thigh. He couldn't help it; he just wanted to touch every part of him. He wanted to be alone with him and not just to have free touching access but to be able to talk and spend time with just him. Axel must have gotten the message because he cleared his throat.

"Né do you think you can get a ride home with Yuffie? I'm gonna go somewhere quiet with Marly."

"Sure, that's okay with you right Yufe?" Yuffie nodded, "See no problem. Have fun guys. It was nice meeting you in person finally Marly."

"Same here," he stood and walked over to her then leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Thanks again for everything." He did the same with Yuffie before turning to Demyx and Zexy, "Nice meeting you guys, send me some tracks and I'll get them on the air."

"Nice meeting you too and that sounds great. I'll get some together for you." Demyx replied.

"See ya." Zexy nodded.

He turned to Axel, "Okay, ready to go?"

"Yep, talk to you later everyone." Axel waved and left.

Naminé sat in silence as she watched them leave. In all the time she and Axel had been friends whenever he left he always gave her a kiss and a hug. Just now he'd barely looked at her and simply included her in the general goodbye. That little warning that kept gnawing at the back of her brain intensified but again she brushed it off. She told herself it was because he had just met Marly and they were anxious to spend time together. She made herself feel better by deciding he would call her tomorrow and tell her everything. She turned her attention back to her other friends and enjoyed the rest of her evening.

ooOoo

"I still can't believe Naminé and Yuffie did this for us." Marly said as they drove to his hotel.

"Yeah I know, Né can be sneaky like that and she always manages to drag Yuffie into it."

"I didn't mean it as a derogatory comment; I think it was sweet of them. Are you upset?" he asked sounding a little concerned.

Axel realized how that must have sounded and looked at him. "No I'm not complaining. I am really glad they brought you here. It's just I don't like surprises and she knows that." He smiled then, "But as surprises go, I'd take this one any day." He took Marly's hand threading their fingers together. Marly returned his smile without saying anything. They drove the rest of the way to the hotel talking about the usual stuff, gaming, movies, music and whatever else came to mind.

"There it is, on the right." Marly pointed out his hotel. Axel pulled in the lot and parked then turned to face him.

"Are you sure about this Marly?" he asked, his intense green eyes watching for any sign of doubt. He didn't want any regrets between them so he wanted to be sure Marly was ready. They may have known each other for months but they had truly only just met.

"More sure then I have ever been about anything in my life. You make me happy Axel. I want to take it to the next level with you." His eyes never moved, he held Axel's stare. His voice never wavered, Marly knew what he wanted and it was Axel.

"Okay then why don't we head in." his eyes darkened and his grin was all seduction.

Marly's body reacted quickly to him. He opened the door and got out, checking his crotch to make sure no one but he would know just how Axel affected him. He was very thankful for the strong denim of his jeans at the moment. Axel followed him as they made their way up the stairs and down the hall. He could feel the red head's eyes undressing him from behind and it had him struggling to breathe by the time they made it to his room. He slid the key card in and unlocked the door, turned the knob and pushed his way through. Axel's body was immediately pressed to his then he heard the door slam closed from Axel kicking it.

He was turned in Axel's arms and immediately assaulted by soft, warm lips as he was walked backwards to the bed. Marly expected to be tossed backward but instead as they reached the bed Axel unfastened Marly's jeans and slid them down his legs just before he pulled his own pants off. He went back to kissing Marly as he pushed their groins together. Both still had their shirts on and Axel's hand were traveling up and down Marly's body from his ass to his hips then up his sides to his pecs where he teased Marly's nipples by rubbing his thumbs over the puckered flesh and pinching the nubs between his fingers and thumbs. He pulled Marly's shirt over his head and Marly repeated the action on Axel

The kiss was a searing heat that made Marly feel like his blood was beginning to boil. Their tongues were in an erotic dance that had them using every bit of space in their mouths. They both nipped, licked, bit and sucked only breaking away long enough to get another gasp of air before beginning again. Their chests were pressed together and Axel had his foot on the edge of the bed allowing him to press their cocks together more completely. He had one hand on Marly's ass using it to hold him in place as he ground their heated flesh together.

Marly was panting and moaning. He could feel his orgasm rising fast, the multiple assaults were too much for him to handle. Axel had their rods sliding up and down one against the other. The friction of their dry skin rubbing together made it feel as if his cock would ignite at any moment only to be joined by the fire of their kiss. His body was covered in a fine sheen of sweat as his body heated with his arousal. He broke the kiss and threw his head back as he gasped, "I can't hold on if you don't slow down, I'm gonna come." he rasped out.

Axel kissed his way up and around his neck then sucked at his pulse. Marly moaned and bucked his hips against Axel's making their cocks smash together. Axel groaned and bit down on the flesh he'd been sucking at the same time Marly dug his nails into Axel's shoulders drawing blood.

Axel let go of Marly's neck throwing his own head back in utter ecstasy. "Fucking hell, Mar!" Axel wrapped his hand around Marly's hip to brace himself, still using the other hand to hold their bodies together as he rotated his hips keeping their sexes rubbing and pressing together. Both men leaked by now adding a bit of slickness their hot flesh. The red head pushed Marly to the bed but kept his hips on the edge when he tried to scoot up.

"What are you going to do?" he asked breathlessly as Axel went to his knees and spread Marly's legs.

"Just this." Axel started to kiss his way up the inside of his thigh.

"Ah, fuck Axel," he moaned as Axel made it to his sac and kissed then sucked at the flesh gently pulling his balls into his mouth. Marly shoved his hands into all those red spikes and grabbed lifting his shoulder off the bed so he could watch Axel move up his body placing soft kisses along the crease of his thigh then kissing inward through his curls to the base of his erection. Marly was so hard that when Axel bit down on his base his flesh barely moved but his hips shot off the bed making Axel teeth dig deeper into his skin causing an exquisite pleasure/pain that had the pink haired male cursing colorfully and Axel smiling.

He had never tasted anything better than Marluxia, he was salty and spicy. The combination sent excitement coursing through his body as he moaned his appreciation. He licked up the underside of the impressive erection at his mercy and let out a satisfied growl as Marly moaned and hissed while his tongue worked up and down his deep red shaft. It was like velvet on steel he was so hard. His skin stretch almost to its limit so when Axel made his way to the plump head he was able to use the tip of his tongue to trace along the protruding rim then up and over the top to play with his slit. He was rewarded with a spurt of pre cum which he lapped at eagerly. His own sex was leaking and rock hard, he was more than ready to be inside this beautiful man. He took Marly's cock into his mouth and in one swift plunge he had him buried deep in his throat.

Marly arched, "Holy fucking hell Axel!" He pulled hard on the red heads hair dragging him up his body. "No more, no more please. Either ride me or fuck me but no more torture please." he kissed him hard and with a desperation that Axel was beginning to feel as well.

Axel ground their groins together one last time before shifting his body enough to reach Marly's crease. He slid his hands down the trail until he was just above his puckered flesh. He pushed down placing his finger flat against the opening then started moving in slow circles gently coaxing the tight muscles to open by pushing his finger down a little more every few rotations. He continued to kiss Marly and captured his moans of pleasure in his mouth savoring every one. When he finally pushed through the tight barrier Marly groaned and arched and pulled harder at Axel's hair. The pain grounded him and helped him keep control of his own quickly rising orgasm.

What Axel was doing to him was nothing short of delicious torture. His strong slender fingers were a welcome invasion inside his overly heated body. He couldn't imagine how he would handle Axel's cock if just having his finger inside him felt this good, just then he added a second finger stretching his rim and channel as he plowed through thrusting his fingers inside twisting and turning then hooking on the way out rubbing along his prostate sending spikes of pleasure to his penis and low belly. His legs began shaking and his body coiled ready to come to a finish. He was desperately trying to hold back and just as he thought he'd lost the battle Axel slipped his thumb and finger around the base of him and squeezed affectively holding back his orgasm as he felt the first stretch of Axel's swollen head pushing past his rim. Marly pulled his legs up, digging his heels into the edge of the mattress to open himself fully to Axel's invasion. In that moment he realized that he hadn't yet seen Axel's cock, he'd only felt it pressed against his. He suddenly felt a slight tear and a burning as Axel stretched him open. Marly looked down his body and wished he hadn't but couldn't look away either.

Axel was huge in both length and girth. He watched as Axel pushed in deeper and he felt the pain that went with it but it was a good pain because he knew this pain would lead to oh so much pleasure. He allowed his body to relax, Axel slid in farther.

"Fucking hell Marly you're so tight. You feel like a virgin. Ah Christ, you feel so good." he grunted out as he slid in another inch. His cock was pulsating fighting against the slow progress he was making but he didn't want to hurt Marly. Every time he leaked it allowed him to move a little easier, slide in a little deeper he was just about to move in another inch when Marly grabbed his hips and yanked him forward impaling himself with Axel's rod. They both yelled out and neither moved as they learned to breathe again and waited for Marluxia's body to adjust.

Axel took the time to calm his body down. His cock was throbbing and jumping inside its tight sheath and he knew if he moved one centimeter he would come. His body was vibrating with the need for release and he was holding on by a mere thread. He distracted himself by leaning over and taking one of his lover's taut nipples into his mouth and suckling it using his tongue to tease back and forth making Marly arch into him and moan as he grabbed the sheets beside him bunching them into his fists. Axel felt his channel loosen so he hooked his arms under the other's thighs and pushed them toward his body as he leaned in forcing him to open even more for him. Axel began to move pulling back slowly then pushing back in then pulling out again and pushing back in. "Oh fuck yeah, so perfect." He groaned as he picked up his pace never taken his eyes from Marly's.

Marly's legs trembled violently as he struggled to hold his orgasm back. No one had ever felt as good as Axel did moving inside him. He rocked his hips to move with his thrusts making each go even deeper than the last. He cried out when Axel hit his sweet spot and stayed there using short fast thrusts to stroke his core sending his body spiraling into an abyss of pure ecstasy. "Oh fuck, Axel I'm gonna come, I can't, I can't." he warned his lover in ragged pants as his release came barreling to the surface and this time it wouldn't be stopped.

Axel sped up his thrusts when he knew Marluxia was going to go over. He wanted to come with him so he pushed his body to its limits and began pounding into him holding his legs in place with his arms and his hands wrapped under him lifting his hips up getting him deep. He felt Marly's channel tighten around him forcing him to struggle to pull back and slam in again and with that last thrust they both yelled out as there cream shot from their bodies. Marly's hitting his chest and the Axel's stomach and Axel's filling Marly with a scorching liquid heat.

Axel fused their mouths together and continued to thrust until they were both spent. He put his head beside Marly's as Marly set his legs back down and they brought their bodies back to normal rhythms. Eventually Marly started sliding his body up the bed and Axel crawled with him. Once at the top Axel moved up a little higher and Marly rested his head on Axel's chest with his arm draped over the red head's stomach. Axel absently slid his hand up and down Marly's arm and played with his pink silken strands. Neither spoke for a while.

Axel was the first to break the silence. "That was incredible. I've never felt like that with anyone I've been with, incredible doesn't even cover the way I felt, feel. I can't explain…"

Marly put his finger over Axel's lips, "I know I feel the same way, like we are two pieces of a puzzle that were made to fit only with each other." he kissed Axel's chest.

Axel looked down at him "Yeah, that's it, that's a perfect way to explain it."

"I have a confession to make." Marly whispered as he circled his finger lightly around Axel's nipple making him shudder.

"Sounds serious, what is it."

"Somewhere along the way while we were talking over the last few months…" he paused as if having second thoughts about making his confession.

"Yes, what is it? You know you can tell me anything." Axel encouraged him with a little squeeze of his shoulders.

"I fell in love with you."

Axel was quiet for a long time. He'd felt their relationship changing and he was pretty sure somewhere along the way he'd fallen in love with Marluxia too. But he was scared because he always hurt the people who loved him and he didn't want to hurt Marly.

"It's okay if you don't feel the same. That's not what I was looking for from you. I just thought you should know what you were dealing with when it came to me. You already know my personality and that I tend to be a little needy when it comes to my partners. Just ask Terra, he'll tell you…"

He was getting himself worked up and Axel didn't want him to spiral downward so he cut off his words. "Shush, Marly. It's not that I don't return your feelings. I don't want to hurt you and I have a tendency to do that with everyone I love. I'm just afraid I'll hurt you that's all beautiful, I don't want to hurt you." he leaned down and kissed a tear that was threatening to fall from Marly's curtain of lashes. "So in response to what you said, I believe I've fallen in love with you too."

He turned onto his side so he could look at Marluxia while they talked. "And Terra is an asshole. As I have told you many, many times, it's not needy to want to be told that you are important to someone. If they love you they will have no problem admitting you mean something in their life. It's not like you were asking him to declare his un-dying love for you or that you needed to hear he loved you every day. You didn't ask for reassurance until he started becoming distant. Do not blame yourself for his stupidity." as he spoke he ran his fingers through all that pink silk, savoring the feel of it. He knew Marluxia was beautiful on the outside from the first picture he'd seen of him. But it wasn't until their endless conversations that he discovered he was just as beautiful on the inside. He only hoped he could be half as kind hearted, he just wasn't so sure and it scared him; though he did find a way to be kind when it came to Marly. He seemed to have more patience where he was concerned. That was one of the reasons he thought he was in love with him, he didn't have the same patience with anyone else, not even Né who he knew he loved.

"You're so sweet to me, you make me happy and you make me want to see what life has in store for me. A year ago I really didn't care one way or the other. But you," he placed his hand on Axels cheek and cupped his jaw, "You make me want to experience life again. You give me a reason to live." Marly proclaimed before he kissed Axel with a profound passion that had his heart pounding against his ribs.

Axel wasn't sure if it was deep emotion or utter panic that had his heart racing. "Wow that was quite a kiss." was how he responded because he didn't think saying 'Wow that's a lot of pressure to put on someone' would make Marly feel reassured. So he kept that thought to himself for later evaluation. "You keep that up and I might have to have my way with you again." he smiled and kissed his nose.

Marly chuckled, "I let you top me this time but that's not always going to be the case Red." then rolled on top of him, straddling his hips.

"Well now that sounds like a challenge to me." Axel grinned as he placed his hands on his lover's narrow hips and pushed his up against him.

Marly gasped, "No my love, it's a promise." he leaned in and took Axel's mouth again in a demanding and very possessive kiss that Axel lost himself to.

ooOoo

The next morning Naminé was at her computer finishing up the project she didn't get done yesterday. Her music was playing, a fresh pot of coffee was made, and a new cup poured and currently in her hand being sipped as she read over what she'd written yesterday. It was 11:00 and she still hadn't heard from Axel. He routinely called her every Saturday by 10:00 no matter what they did the night before. He as a rule was not a late sleeper but today was a little different since he left with Marly last night. She smiled thinking they must have had a great time and maybe they were still together. Deciding he'd call eventually she submersed herself into her project determined to get it done since she had made plans with Marly and Axel to do dinner tonight. Of course the plans were made separately but she figured they would get the idea now.

Several hours passed and she still hadn't heard from Axel. It was almost 4:30 now and she had planned on dinner at 6:00. She'd made reservations several weeks ago at a hard to get in place that she knew Axel loved and thought he would love to bring Marly to. She sent Axel a text reminding him about dinner and asking him to call her then hopped in the shower. She checked her phone 20 minutes later and still no response, her heart began to clench. "It can't happen this fast, please I'm not ready yet." she sent him another text,

"Hey you! answer me please.

We do have reservations

at 6 ya know. XD"

Five minutes later at 5:00 she got a reply.

"Sorry, busy, we can't make it."

Her heart started to race and tears threatened to fall but she stiffened her back and wiped her eyes before a single tear was shed. "It's okay they just want some alone time. Don't put more into this then what it is." she said to her empty apartment. She stood in her towel looking at the message again trying to decide how to respond. If she sounded upset Axel would get mad and possibly not call her tomorrow either so she chose her words carefully.

"NP, Hope it's because you're enjoying

each other. ttyl lyn"

"There that works. I'll just call Yuffie and Tifa, see if they want to go out to dinner." She again spoke to her empty apartment. She called them and the three went out to dinner. She had a good time in spite of her unfounded fears and checking her phone every 30 minutes for a reply that never came. She fell asleep easily thanks to her unusually high alcohol consumption at dinner.

On Sunday morning she woke with a splitting headache and after registering the pain her second thought was Axel. She rolled over grabbing her phone from the night stand. She opened one eye and looked bleary at the screen, no messages. That nagging pain in her heart came back but she pushed it away again. "He won't push me out of his life, I mean too much to him. We spend 75% of our time together, stop being so paranoid." she reprimanded herself then rolled over and fell back to sleep.

Several hours later the sound of her phone ringing woke her. She scrambled through her tangle of blankets to answer it. Disappointment over took her when she saw it wasn't Axel. "Hi Mom, yes I'm fine. I was still sleeping. I went out last night. No I'm not sick. Yes I know tomorrows his birthday. Yes I'll be stopping by later. Okay, okay, yes okay, yes, yes I know, okay Mom I love you too. Bye."

She rolled to her back staring at the ceiling, lifted her phone into her line of vision, no messages. She sighed and got out of bed to go drowned herself in the shower. A very, very hot shower maybe she would eat some soap to try to get the taste of tire out of her mouth. She remembered clearly why she hated drinking too much.

ooOoo

Axel woke up to the feel of a warm body pressed against him and his arms wrapped around said body. This is one thing he'd never done. He never managed to stay in a relationship long enough to get to this point. Most of the guys he dated would make him leave after sex or he didn't want to stay with them. With Marly there was no question, no discussion. They wanted to wake up together and it felt great to wake up like this. It was definitely something Axel could get used to. He felt Marly stir then he turned in Axel's arms.

"Good morning honey," Marly said in a, oh so sexy, sleepy voice that had Axel hard and ready instantly.

"Good morning yourself sexy." he smiled.

"I love waking in your arms."

"Hm I was just thinking how much I love waking with you in my arms," he flashed a toothy grin at his rose.

Marly smiled but then it faded away and he looked away from Axel.

Axel took his chin in his hand and turned his head to face him. "What is it Mar, what's wrong?"

"I have to go back home today. I don't want to leave." he looked down again.

"I don't want you to leave either but you have a job and I so do I. I can't leave until I turn twenty one, that's only three months away. Then we can be together, I can move by you because I'll have access to my trust fund and won't be dependent on my mom for money anymore. You can wait three months right?" he asked still holding his chin, making him look at his face.

Marly smiled, "Yeah I can wait that long. We can visit on weekends and still talk on the phone. It won't be so bad, though I'll miss waking up with you."

"That will only be during the week. On the weekends either I'll go there or you can come here okay?" Axel reasoned.

"Okay, that works." Marly agreed as a huge smile spread over his face. "Axel?"

"Mhmm."

His smile faded, "I kinda feel bad about blowing Né off last night. She had reservations and everything."

"Yeah I do too but I'm sure she understands. Don't worry she'll be fine." he rolled Marly over and pressed his erection into the rosenette's crease then began sliding his heated member up and down the valley. Marly grabbed a pillow and bit on it to stifle his moan as he lifted his hips to open himself up.

After their morning love session they spent the day shopping. Then went out to eat and took a romantic walk on the beach. Axel didn't remember ever laughing so much and feeling so happy. It had been a long time since his face hurt from smiling too much. When it was time for Marly to leave they had a hard time saying goodbye even knowing that they would see each other in a week.

As Marly drove off the first thing that came to Axel's mind was to call Naminé. She would be able to keep his spirits up while he missed his Rose. He flipped open his phone for the first time since last night and saw he had three missed messages, all from Né. He moaned inwardly, he should have at least returned her messages even though he knew she'd understand. "Damn it." He hit speed dial one, Né's number, and waited for her to answer.

Naminé was curled up on her couch reading a book, keeping her mind occupied trying desperately to not get all worked up over not speaking to Axel since Friday. The book was helping but she found herself checking her phone every hour or so because she might miss the ring with the volume only on full blast, she reprimanded herself. Getting angry for feeling lost, It's not like she didn't have other friends or her world would come to a screeching halt if he left. She whimpered, "But none of my other friends are like him damn it." She tossed the book down and turned on the T.V. "You can't let yourself get upset like this, you knew it could happen. Yeah but I really hoped it wouldn't. I really hoped this time it would be different." She fought to keep the tears back, she refused to cry. At least she wouldn't cry yet, not before she was sure he was gone. For now she would trust in their friendship and hope that he loved her at least half as much as she loved him.

She realized she hadn't eaten yet so got up to look for something when her phone rang. This time she took her time figuring it wouldn't be Axel as she reached it she saw his face on her wall. "Oh my God it's him." she picked it up fast, "Hi you! How are things? I missed you!" she couldn't stop smiling as she heard his deep voice answer her and the obvious apology in it.

"Hi Né, things are good; aside from missing Marluxia that is."

"So he went back then, I'm sorry. Did you make plans for him to come back and visit?" She asked in earnest.

"Yeah, he's coming back next weekend and then I'll probably go visit him the weekend after and we'll keep switching off like that." He explained.

Naminé was thinking about all of the plans they had made for the next six weeks. From what she could remember they had two concerts a play and he was supposed to go to a wedding with her the weekend he was going to visit Marly. She said nothing, he was too happy and she didn't want to spoil that. She had other friends she could ask to go in his place. "So you guys really hit it off then huh? Being in the flesh made it that much better like I said it would?"

"Yeah, it was the best two days of my life. He is everything I have every hoped for and more. I have never had more fun with anyone then I did with Marly. He makes me happy Né, I'm in love with him."

She choked back the hurt about never having fun with anyone else. She thought they had a lot of fun together but maybe it was just his well perfected act and she really didn't help him as much as she thought. She mentally shook herself. This wasn't about her it was about Axel finally being truly happy. "Oh Sweety, I'm so happy for you! I knew you would get along. I don't know why you guys kept putting it off."

"So you up for some company? I don't feel like sitting home tonight especially since my parents are here. God I can't wait to get out of here." He grumbled.

"You know I'm always up for your company. I should warn you though I have had a very, very casual Sunday. My hair is up in a sloppy bun thing and I have on my super comfy lounging stuff." She giggled.

"I've seen you first thing in the morning, nothing could be worse, trust me." He teased.

"Hey! I don't look that bad in the morning." She groused.

"Okay if you say so. I'll be there in a few minutes okay."

"Kiss my ass and okay see ya in a few." She hung up smiling. "See you were just over reacting. Everything will be fine." She said to herself as she went into the kitchen to make some popcorn.

ooOoo

Over the next few weeks Naminé had her ups and downs dealing with Axel's disappearing acts but as always she got over it because it was Marly he was with and that made it okay. She was honestly happy for them and would not be the one to get between them. Not that she thought for a minute that Axel would choose her over Marly but she didn't want to play that game anyway. Axel was her friend and a friend doesn't mess with another friend's head you just didn't.

In the past two weeks though Axel had been calling her less and less and his texts were getting shorter and less frequent. Again that little warning was gnawing at the back of her mind, preparing her for what was coming. And again she chose to ignore it telling herself that she was too important to Axel and he would never just walk away.

Tonight was Axel's twenty first birthday, he was finally free and could leave his parent's house. His trust fund was substantial, he would not be hurting for money anytime soon. Marly took the week off of work and the two of them were going to look for somewhere to live since Marly lived in a little studio apartment. They had spent the day together then drove back here to celebrate his birthday.

They were all seated at the table, Demy and Zexy had just joined them when Axel stood up. "Hey everyone I have an announcement to make so listen up." Everyone got quiet and turned their attention to Axel. "As you all know, now that I am twenty one I have my own money and can move out. And as you all know is I will be moving in with Marly. What you don't know is after a lot of thought we have decided to move to England."

Naminé's heart stopped. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. She had to have heard wrong, did he say England. No he couldn't have. Vaguely she heard everyone at the table talking at once, asking them questions. She heard someone ask when they were leaving and Axel said in a week. Then someone asked for how long and Marly answered saying they didn't know. He had been offered a position as Vice President of Programming at his station's sister station in England and decided to take it.

She felt the tears filling her eyes and couldn't let anyone see so she stood and walked away from the table without a word to anyone. She went straight to the bathroom and threw up then the tears came and they wouldn't stop. She tried stopping them but they wouldn't stop. She knew it was coming, she knew it but that didn't make it hurt any less. It wouldn't make her miss him any less. She stood in the stall crying so hard she was struggling to breathe. She rocked back and forth as her stomach threatened to revolt again. She had to get it together before she went back out there, but she didn't have the ability right now. She would be losing her best friend in a week and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She prayed in her heart that he would stay in touch with her but his behavior over the past few months and especially the last two weeks told her she may not get that particular prayer answered.

"Né?" Yuffie asked from the other side of the door.

Shit, shit, shit, "Yeah?" was all she managed.

"Né are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She said but her bawling made it impossible to talk without doing that sort of hiccup thing that happens when you've been crying hard.

"Bullshit, what's wrong?" Yuffie demanded.

"Na..na..nothing I-I'm f-fine."

"Uh huh and I'm the Virgin Mary. Come on out or I'm coming in by any means necessary." She threatened making Naminé laugh because she really would force her way in by any means necessary.

"F-fine." She wiped her eyes and opened the door to find Yuffie leaning against the counter waiting for her to emerge.

"This is because Axel's moving to Europe." She stated.

Naminé moaned, "I know I'm being an idiot, I'm sure he'll keep in touch." She felt tears burn her eyes again but brushed them away. Checking the mirror and fixing her makeup she ran her fingers through her hair. Yuffie stayed quiet letting her get herself together.

"Né I'm sure he'll keep in touch with you, you're a good friend of his." She reassured.

"Yeah , I know, I'm just gonna miss him is all. I'll be fine and I am really happy for him. How cool is it that he is going to live in England?" Naminé said proud that her voice was almost normal.

"Oh Né, I'll help you through it I promise." She pulled her into a tight hug.

If anyone could get her through this it would be Yuffie, they'd been friends for many years and she'd been through every one of Né's "friendship breakups" so she knew what to expect as much as Né did. "Thanks Yufe I know you will. Let's hope it won't be necessary this time." She smiled and it didn't reach her eyes but she put on her game face and they went back to celebrate Axel's good news.

As she walked toward the table Axel caught her by the arm and pulled her to the side. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing's wrong I must have had some bad food today I had to throw up."

He narrowed his eyes, "That's all it is huh?"

"Yeah, that's all. So congratulations on moving to Europe. That's awesome Sweety I am so happy for you guys." She hugged him to hide the threatening tears again and blinked them away. "I know you two are in love and this will be an exciting adventure for you. You're going to keep in touch with me right?"

"Of course, I don't want to experience England without you!" Axel reassured her as he hugged her back.

"I can't wait to see the pictures. We better get back to the table before you're missed from your own party." She headed back toward the table. Now Marly met her, Christ she left the table to not cause a dramatic scene but it would seem her plan back fired.

"Everything okay Né?" Marly asked with genuine concern.

"Yeah, it's all good Marly. Congrats on the position, that's awesome for you." She hugged him.

"Thanks, yeah it's a big step in my career. I'm really excited about it and I can't believe Axels going to come with me. That made it so much easier to accept, I wouldn't go if he wasn't going." He explained to her and the excitement in his voice made her sadness at losing Axel more palatable.

She really hoped that Axel kept his word and he shared his adventure with her. Her heart was aching but she would learn to deal with whatever changes their relationship took because she loved him that much and his happiness meant that much to her. She hoped that someday they would move back to the states and she would be able to see her best friend again and they could sit and watch a movie while throwing popcorn at each other or sit and talk for hours about absolutely nothing. She didn't know what the future would bring she just prayed that it would include her best friend.

"I want to make a toast," she said and stood up holding her glass and looked at Axel, "To my best friend and the love of his life Marly," she looked at Marly, "I hope your future holds everything you've ever dreamed of and more." She raised her glass and everyone said a unified here, here tapping their glasses together. Axel looked at Naminé and smiled his beautiful smile the mouthed, I love you, to her and she knew that everything would be okay.

**AN: This story is for everyone who has one of those friends that if they were to disappear it would leave a huge hole in your life, your heart where they once occupied such a big part of it.**

**Please review if you have the time, any reviews, faves and or alerts are appreciated. They all make my day. ^_^**


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